Republicans this year attempted to block certification of local elections in Washoe, a critical swing county — a worrying sign for what could be ahead, the Democratic secretary of state said.
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Cari-Ann Burgess, the former interim registrar of voters for Nevada’s Washoe County, at her office in Reno, Nev., last week. Ms. Burgess has taken a temporary leave because of “stress related health issues,” according to a county spokeswoman.
Cari-Ann Burgess, the interim registrar of voters for Nevada’s Washoe County, was the third top elections official the county had seen in four years.
Some of her predecessors left the office under a deluge of harassment and threats. Now, a county spokeswoman said last week that Ms. Burgess has taken a temporary leave because of “stress related health issues.”
Ms. Burgess’s leave highlights the enormous strain election officials across the country have been under since 2020 as a direct result of former President Donald J. Trump’s stolen election lie. And it has thrown a pivotal swing county in a battleground state into a measure of uncertainty with the start of early voting two weeks away and Election Day close behind.
“Is Cari-Ann going to be able to complete the election, or is she not? That unknown creates a lot of anxiety, because you’re worried about her as a person,” said Francisco V. Aguilar, Nevada’s Democratic secretary of state, in an interview. “Second of all, you’re worried about the operation and the voters in Washoe County.”
Mr. Aguilar, who defeated a Trump-backed election denier to win his post in 2022, said Ms. Burgess’s decision last week to step away has helped his office be able to create a “permanent plan” for the administration of November’s election in Washoe. A new interim leader has not yet been appointed.
Bethany Drysdale, a spokeswoman for Washoe County, said Andrew McDonald, deputy registrar of voters, is leading the office. But Mr. Aguilar, along with county officials, expressed concern that the heated environment and pressure on the office’s staff is an untenable situation for the long term.
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